It’s National Volunteer Week, and RAHB would like to say a big “thank you!” to all members who volunteer with the Association. We appreciate our volunteer committee and task force members who offer their time, talents and expertise for the benefit of all members.

Do you volunteer in your community or for other causes? A big “thank you!” to you, too! REALTORS® are known for their volunteerism, and supporting your community speaks volumes about how much you care.

Do you have volunteers who help you in your business or other endeavours? Be sure to thank them for their efforts – let them know you appreciate the work they do for you.

If the plant is marijuana and it is being grown indoors, as will likely be allowed by pending federal legislation, the answer may be “plenty”. Growing marijuana indoors can lead to the growth of mold and fungus, which can pose serious health risks for anyone living in the property. These effects are not limited to massive grow ops; with the suggested maximum of four plants, the light and heat from the lamps needed by the plants can cause dangerous levels of mold and fungus.

This is a serious issue for REALTORS® who will be called on to list or sell properties which may be damaged by marijuana grown either legally (once legislation is approved) or illegally.

The Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA) developed a five-point Action Plan for Cannabis Legalization for the Province to consider as it decides how to manage legalized marijuana. The recommendations in the plan focus on the effects of indoor marijuana plants on homes, home owners and home buyers, and includes proposals for dealing with illegal grow operations as well as legal plants. OREA unveiled their plan at a press conference at Queen’s Park on Monday, April 9, 2018.

Please visit www.ProtectOntarioHomes.ca to learn all about OREA’s Action Plan for Cannabis Legalization, the issues with growing marijuana indoors, and how you can support OREA’s plan by writing to your MPP.

Hamilton City staff will be hosting a Public Open House focused on the proposed new Downtown Secondary Plan on Monday April 9, 2018 from 6 p.m – 8:30 p.m. at the David Braley Health Sciences Centre (100 Main Street West, Hamilton). You are invited to learn about the proposed Downtown Hamilton Secondary Plan, the proposed changes to the Zoning By-law and how these documents will be used.

Do you want to learn more about what the Niagara Escarpment Commission (NEC) does? Or what the updated Niagara Escarpment Plan is? Here’s your chance!

Background

The Ontario government released an updated Niagara Escarpment Plan (NEP) on June 1, 2017. In doing so, the government updated many NEP policies to reflect provincial priorities, harmonize with the Greenbelt Plan and other provincial land use plans and further strengthen the plan by clarifying policy intent. Mapping to NEP land use designations has also been revised.

The Open House

On Tuesday, March 27, 2018, the Niagara Escarpment Commission will host an all-day session to explain the NEP, with a focus on the development permit process and compliance program. NEC staff will give presentations on the updated policies and will be available to answer your specific questions.

Thank You To Our Sponsor:

Is this a sign of a rebalancing of the market the province was hoping for? The official housing market numbers for May won’t be out for a few days, but early indications show a big jump in the number of homes for sale in the Hamilton and Burlington real estate market as of early this week.

A record-breaking number of homes were listed for sale in the Hamilton area last month, according to new data from The REALTORS® Association of Hamilton-Burlington (RAHB). And that spike marks a measurable move toward a “healthier” and more balanced market, says the area’s real estate board.

The current stats that was released showed that existing owners and investors seem to have cashed out of the blazing real estate market. In the course of last month as stated by the REALTORS® Association of Hamilton-Burlington, latest listings went up in Hamilton as existing home owners made best use of the blazing market.

Home sales in the Greater Toronto Area plunged 20 per cent last month compared with a year ago, according to the latest data from the country’s largest real estate board. But the GTA’s slide is in contrast to the continuing hot market in the Hamilton-Burlington area, which boasted 3,208 new listings in May, a whopping 41 per cent increase from the same month last year, and nearly 35 per cent higher than its 10-year average.

The listings increase was announced last week by the REALTORS® Association of Hamilton-Burlington, and showed 3,208 new listings were processed through the organization in May, which is 41.1 per cent higher than May of last year and 34.8 per cent higher than the
10-year average.

The REALTORS® Association of Hamilton-Burlington (RAHB) reported a record 3,208 new listings were processed through the RAHB Multiple Listing Service System in May, which is 41.1 per cent higher than the same month last year and 34.8 per cent higher than the 10-year average.

On July 5th, REALTORS® across Ontario will be riding their motorcycles and gathering across Hamilton, Brantford, Kitchener-Waterloo, Grey Bruce Owen Sound, Huron Perth and Sarnia-lambton to raise money to assist a variety of local shelter-related charities in each of these communities.

The number of newly listed homes edged up 0.2 per cent from June to July.

The Canadian housing market remains balanced overall.

The MLS® Home Price Index (HPI) rose 5.9% year-over-year in July.

The national average sale price rose 8.9% on a year-over-year basis in July; excluding Greater Vancouver and Greater Toronto, it increased by 4.1%.

The number of home sales processed through the MLS® Systems of Canadian real estate Boards and Associations declined by 0.4 per cent in July 2015 compared to June. While this marks the second consecutive monthly decline in activity, sales activity in May, June and July reached their highest monthly levels in more than five years.

The national average sale price rose 9.6% on a year-over-year basis in June; excluding Greater Vancouver and Greater Toronto, it increased by 3.1%.

The number of home sales processed through the MLS® Systems of Canadian real estate Boards and Associations declined by 0.8 per cent in June 2015 compared to May. Sales levels in May and June marked the strongest monthly readings in more than five years.

The City of Hamilton and the Region of Niagara have collaborated to develop a unique platform to attract investment, business and trade opportunities for industry and organizations in the Hamilton/Niagara region.

A series of investment and business-focused events will take place between July 10-26 during the Pan Am games, with high-potential delegates attending from the U.S., Mexico, South America and other international locations.

There will be five events, with the final one – the Real Estate and Development Familiarization Tour – taking place in Hamilton on July 23, 2015.

This full day event will include

a continental breakfast (sponsored by RAHB)

market overviews and investment highlights,

a tour of McMaster Innovation Park (lunch included), and

two tours from which to select:

Commercial & Residential Focus

Industrial Focused Tour

networking

Optional – attend an exciting semi final men’s soccer game at the CIBC Pan Am Stadium.

The tours will showcase new investments, profile opportunity for future growth, and the multi-modal transportation networks that are nearly unrivaled in the Province of Ontario. Attendees will also have opportunities to meet with Hamilton’s top leaders in local industry, academia, and government.